Social media has become an essential tool for businesses, influencers, and individuals to connect with their audience and build a loyal following. If you read our previous article about how to create your winning strategy on WeChat Accounts – which you can find here – now, you might be wondering how to maintain your followers. It can be a challenging task, as people's interests and preferences change over time.

On September 9th, Li Jiaqi, the popular livestream host known as the "Lipstick King", introduced a certain brand of eyebrow pencil priced at 79 yuan during a livestream event, mentioning that two replacement refills were included as a bonus. Upon seeing a comment from a netizen stating that the prices were getting higher, he retorted, "What's expensive about it? It has been priced at this level for many years. Don't make random claims when you can see the facts. It's not easy for domestic brands... What's expensive about it?"

The response immediately angered many viewers and the fact quickly became a top trending topic on Weibo on Monday. Hours later, Li posted an apology on his Weibo account:

However, the response was not positive. Within just one day, more than 1 million people had unfollowed Li on Weibo.com. His follower base plunged from 30.43 to 29.10 million and is projected to keep dropping.

Others, replied saying "Maybe Li has forgotten that with the eyebrow pencil priced at 79 yuan, for the same price, the average person can afford a day's meals," one comment read. "He used to give heart-felt purchasing plans on how to make the best deals in his livestreaming room for his audience.

So, where did China’s top beauty products livestreamer actually go wrong? The taunting reply to one of his followers is the easiest answer, but before giving such a comment to a follower some basic step must have gone out of sight.

Let’s see the basics needed to have a successful online presence:

Be consistent and provide quality content 

One of the crucial aspects of maintaining your follower base is consistently providing valuable and engaging content. You need to understand your audience's expectations and cater to their interests. By consistently sharing high-quality content, you're more likely to keep your existing followers engaged, attract new ones, and decrease the chances of losing your current audience.

Know your audience and their preferences

Take the time to analyze your followers' demographics, preferences, and behavior on your social media platforms. Understanding your audience allows you to tailor your content to their interests, ensuring they find value in what you share. By showing that you genuinely care about their needs and desires, you increase the chances of retaining your followers and forging a deeper connection with them.

Avoid controversial topics or offensive content 避免争议话题或冒犯性内容

While it's crucial to have an authentic and unique voice on social media, it's equally important to be mindful of the content you publish. Controversial topics or offensive content can polarize your audience and lead to an influx of unfollows. Unless it's relevant to your brand or aligns with your audience's interests, it's generally best to steer clear of potentially divisive subjects.

Remember to regularly provide valuable content, understand your audience, engage with your followers, avoid controversy, find the right posting frequency, stay relevant, and listen to feedback. By doing so, you will create a thriving online community that will continue to grow and support your social media presence.